Hikes from vicinity of Rancho Europa

(All hikes below depart from near Rancho Europa (east end of Lazy Z Rd.) and are
in Roosevelt National
Forest; use
"Trails Illustrated" map #102, "Indian Peaks/Gold Hill".)

Weather conditions are highly variable. Winter highs can be near zero or as
warm as the 60's, often sunny with snow on the ground, occasionally very windy.
Summer mornings are often sunny and warm (70's or warmer), but afternoon
thunderstorms (occasionally with hail) and
cool breezes are common. Take water and good solar protection. Hikes #6 thru #8
involve some off-trail bushwhacking and should be attempted only by experienced
hikers with good topo maps of the region. The environment is "montane", with
ponderosa pines on south-facing slopes, lodgepole pine/Douglas fir on north-facing slopes,
interspersed meadows, aspen groves, streams, rocky outcrops with views of both the
Great Plains to the east and the snowy peaks of the Continental Divide to the west,
red-rock spires, and the stream-fed, multi-pronged Gross Reservoir (Denver's water
supply); jeep
trails (some formally, but not totally effectively, closed to motorized traffic) provide the
chief transportation routes, in addition to unmarked horse- and foot-trails. You are
likely to encounter deer, elk, and a wide variety of birds. Black bears and large cats
have been seen in the area (including by us). Beware of hunters (especially in autumn you
should wear bright orange vests) and target-shooters.

(1) SHORT WALK UP TO SEE THE DIVIDE. {Note: This route (not a trail) leaves
from our house and is suggested only for our friends visiting at Rancho Europa. The
public can readily scramble up to the trail along Winiger Ridge from points in public lands
to the east: (a) walk through the gate at the end of Lazy Z; after 1/2 mile, at the loop to
the north, join trail 7 and walk NW to where the trail peters out and scramble up to the top
of the ridge near the first "I" in "WINIGER" on our map; (b) follow either the road or trail
7 to the east; 250 paces east of where trail 7 rejoins the road there are trails heading north,
which peter out near the final "R" in "WINIGER" on our map, but you can continue
scrambling north up to the saddle mentioned in #2 below.} Less than 10 minutes
one-way, 15 min.
roundtrip. From our
ranch, proceed east-northeast toward the relatively low point on the horizon and cross
through
our fence near the posts at the NE corner of our property. Gradually curve around
to the left
(more to the north, to avoid descending into the valley to the east) and ascend the hill
until you come to a prominent foot trail,
which trends east-west along Winiger Ridge in front of the forest that covers the
north-facing flank of the ridge. From this point, about a thousand feet northeast of
our ranch house, you can see snow-covered peaks (and Eldora Ski
Resort) to the west and towards James Peak to the southwest plus a glimpse of Mt. Evans
to the south,
and get a better view of Thorodin Mountain in Golden Gate
State Park to the south. Descend by retracing your steps; alternatively walk 1000 feet
west on the trail, then descend to our ranch house via the northwest corner of our
property.

(2) WINIGER RIDGE HIKE TO INDIAN PEAKS VIEWPOINT. About 30
minutes (1.2 mile) one-way; 1 hour roundtrip. Follow directions above to the Winiger
Ridge Trail. Upon reaching the trail, follow it to the right (east), where you enter an area
that was intentionally burned by the Forest Service in autumn 1998. The trail is
basically level for one-half mile, then it turns left (south) and descends to a saddle.
Continue along the trail as it ascends a continuation of the ridge to the east. Before
you get into the
trees again, turn around and look at the Continental Divide (Indian Peaks) to the
northwest. Return the way you came. (You can also descend to the south from the
saddle -- follow an eroded jeep trail, which ends at the Winiger
Gulch Haul Road; follow that west to the Ranch [see hike #3 below]...this provides a
shorter version of the loop described next.)

(3) WINIGER RIDGE/WINIGER GULCH LOOP (LYnda calls this Paradisio Loop).
About 3.5 miles, 1.5 hours
roundtrip. Follow directions above to the Indian Peaks viewpoint. Continue east
another quarter of a mile. The trail begins to descend abruptly toward a 4-wheel-
drive road visible below, but which you won't quite reach. Soon, the trail branches.
Take the right fork, which then descends steeply down to the south. After a quarter
of a mile, you encounter the Winiger Gulch Haul Road in the bottom of a small
canyon (the stream is on the far side of the
road). Turn right and walk up the road (a gentle grade) to the ranch. First you
encounter some impressive red-rock spires on the north side of the road. About half-
way back to the ranch, the road follows a large S-shaped course, providing a variety of
views. (To short-cut the S, see Hike #7, below.) Shortly after completing the S, a
road sign indicates that you are entering
private land (that of our neighbor to the east). You reach the southeast corner of our
property a few hundred feet before the gate that marks the east end of Lazy Z Road.
Our ranch house is beyond (west) of the gate.

(4) WINIGER GULCH TO GROSS
RESERVOIR. About 2 miles, 1 hour one-way (2 hours roundtrip). Follow Lazy Z
Road east from the gate in front of our ranch. See description of the first half of the
route in the description of the return part of hike #3 above. Follow the road, which
keeps to the left side of the stream,
all the way to one arm of Gross Reservoir. The level of the lake can vary by a
hundred feet or more. When low, we could
ascend the cleared slopes to the
left, and have a wonderful view of South Boulder Creek cascading down to the
lake. At other times, this section of the Creek is simply another arm of the reservoir.
Return the way you came.

(5) COMBO: WINIGER RIDGE AND GROSS
RESERVOIR. About 4.5 miles (2.5 hours) roundtrip. Follow directions for the
"Loop" above, except turn left (instead of right) where the steep trail meets the Gulch
Road. See hike #4 for description of the Reservoir. Return back up the Gulch road
as described in #3 and #4 above.

(6) HIKE TO THE KNOB ACROSS FROM OUR RANCH. About 2 miles (2
hours) up; about 1 hour back the same way, 30 minutes if you bushwhack more
directly back to the ranch. Hike down the road below our ranch toward the
Reservoir, or take the trail described in hike #7. Soon after the end of the "S" [see
hike #3 above], or 65 paces east of the trail described in #7, look for a jeep trail to
the right, which crosses the Gulch stream and ascends the south side of the canyon
rather steeply. Toward
the top of the ridge (a quarter mile), the jeep trail forks; take the right fork toward
the west [the east
fork is described in hike #8]. After a
prominent rock outcrop on the lefthand side of the trail ("Breakfast Rock", from
which there is a view
of our ranch with the Indian Peaks behind), the trail levels out, with nice views across
a valley and beyond to Wondervu. After passing through a stand of young aspen, the
road forks. [The lefthand fork is described in hike #8.] Take the righthand fork
uphill toward the north; it curves around to the west and levels out near a rocky hill
to the north. The goal, however, is the rocky hill (knob) ahead of you, to the west.
As the jeep trail begins to dip and veer to the southwest, leave the trail and strike
west a few hundred feet to the crest of a ridge that connects the two rocky hills,
and follow it toward the hill. (If you were to stay on the trail, you would eventually end at
a gate to private property in Pinecliffe west of the rocky knob.) Ascend the eastern side of
the hill (easy route). There
is half an acre of flat terrain on top (8500 ft. elevation, about 750 ft. climb from the
stream crossing), with splendid views 360 degrees. Our ranch house is prominently
visible to the north; there is a panorama of the Continental Divide from Rocky
Mountain National Park south to James Peak. The mountains of Golden Gate State
Park form the skyline to the south and a part of Gross Reservoir can be seen to the
west.

Return the way you came, if you wish. A more direct bushwhack is much
faster, and not too difficult (but do not attempt if not experienced with off-trail hiking).
(The goal is to circumvent, to the east, private property and the house that is
between the hill and our ranch.) Return down the hill the way you ascended, and
proceed back along the ridge toward the rocky hill to the northeast until you come to
the low point, halfway between the two hills. Then proceed downhill, toward the
north-northeast, in the direction of the rocky Twin Sisters Peaks in the middle
background. Curve around to the north and then northwest as you approach the
Winiger Gulch stream (the thicket near the stream is not too dense); jump across it,
and proceed northwest up across meadows to the Gulch Haul Road (Lazy Z
extension) near the southeast corner of our ranch.

(7) PRETTY SHORT-CUT TO THE EAST ("Blue Rug Trail"). [Do not attempt if not
experienced
with off-trail hiking.] The most direct route (for our friends: members of the public please
access this trail as described in the boldfaced note in #1) to the east begins on a very
obscure trail (basically a route) about 20
feet north of our dining room window; it proceeds east-north-east to a point fifty feet south
of the posts marking the northeast corner
of our ranch (as in #1). From this point, trend northeast passing just to the right of the
low rock outcrops, until you encounter (in a couple hundred feet) an old
jeep trail that goes eastward, mostly following a contour, but trending slightly
downhill.
It soon reaches a more prominent jeep trail that drops down to the southeast.
(Ascending, this otherwise unremarkable intersection is noted when the major jeep
trail ascends more steeply and turns northeast towards some rock outcrops with a Y-shaped
twig jutting out of them, instead of
continuing northwest, for
the first time; there is a gap in the vegetation between a 10-foot pine tree and some
shrubs.) A few hundred feet down, the trail branches in a pretty region of
woods, columbine (in the early summer), and rock outcrops. Take the lefthand fork
to the
east (the righthand fork goes into private property). The trail soon
comes close to part of the S-curve portion of the Gulch Haul Road, but continue on
the trail. There is a short steep section, after which the trail passes through a pretty
meadow (burned to the north in autumn 1998) and then ends at the Haul Road (just east of
the end of the S-curve), 65
paces west of the intersection with the jeep trail that crosses the stream to the south.
This is our recommended route to the jeep trail, Gross Reservoir, and other points
southeast. The upper parts of the trail, near our ranch, may be difficult to locate,
especially with snow
cover, in which case the Haul Road is a more reliable route. (250 paces farther east
from the jeep trail intersection, there is a prominent trail junction on the north side
of the Haul Road. It goes most, but not all, of the way to the top of a high point on
Winiger Ridge west of the saddle. A bit further east on the Haul Road is a lesser
jeep trail on the north that actually ascends to the saddle, although the intersection is
not visible from the Winiger Ridge trail where it crosses the saddle.)

(8) "COLUMBINE LOOKOUT": SPECTACULAR ROCKY OUTCROP WITH
VIEWS OF THE DIVIDE, SOUTH BOULDER CREEK RAPIDS, SOUTHERN
PACIFIC R.R. TUNNELS, AND GROSS RESERVOIR. WITH OPTIONAL
RETURNS THROUGH A BEAUTIFUL MEADOW OR VIA GROSS
RESERVOIR. Our favorite hike in the neighborhood, if you have a few hours.
(About 2
hours up, 1.5 hours back, not counting view stops. Add at least one hour if you
return via
Gross Reservoir. Most of the hike is on jeep trails, but a short part is bushwhack; the
return via Gross Reservoir involves 0.8 mile additional off-trail.) Take hike #7 east
to the Winiger Gulch Haul Road. 65 paces to the east, bear right on the jeep trail,
cross the creek, and proceed south up to the ridge, bearing right (west) at the fork
just before the
ridge crest. Turn right at the ridge crest,
proceed west-southwest past a rocky outcrop (we call it "Breakfast Rock"), then
through an aspen grove, to a trail juncture just past a slight crest. It is here that hike
#6 turns right; instead, bear left, downhill toward the southeast,
then east, scrambling around some fallen logs in the road. There is a small stream to
the
right of the jeep trail (a tributary is sometimes in the road itself). Turn right when a
branching jeep trail crosses the stream (steep and slippery here), and walk up the trail
for
about 7 minutes until
you reach a 500-foot-long level section. After that, when the trail suddenly starts
descending for the first time, stop. This is what we call Reservoir Junction.

Retrace your steps 50 paces. From this point, a much less-used jeep trail
proceeds perpendicularly toward the southwest. (Do not attempt the next portion if not
experienced with off-trail hiking.) After about 100 paces along this route
(near a stump at the righthand side of the trail), you will have circumvented the head
of a small valley to the left and can proceed perpendicularly to this trail toward the
southeast, aiming for the lefthand side of the prominence in front of you (Columbine
Lookout). Ascend this rocky edifice from the north, angling up toward the southwest,
then
proceed to the highest
point, at its southeast end. From here (8150 ft. elevation), you can see the Divide to
the west, South Boulder Creek rapids below to the southwest, the town of Wondervu
with Thorodin Mountain beyond to the south, the railroad tracks and tunnels of the
Southern Pacific below Wondervu, several parts of Gross Reservoir below to the east,
and the Great Plains beyond. Return the way you came, or by one of the two
alternate routes below.

(8a) RETURN FROM COLUMBINE LOOKOUT VIA MEADOW. (About the
same length as on your ascent.) Return to the
creek crossing, turn right, then continue down the jeep trail to the east-southeast. It
soon veers east-northeastward across a beautiful valley meadow, then ascends a ridge
and curves left, to the
west. Shortly thereafter, the jeep trail forks. Take the major fork to the right, which
soon reaches the fork just before the ridge crest described on the ascent. Return via
Winiger Gulch Haul Road or the shortcut (#7).

(8b) LONGER RETURN FROM COLUMBINE LOOKOUT VIA GROSS
RESERVOIR. [Note: this route adds at least an hour and involves nearly a mile of
off-trail hiking. Take a topo map.] Return to Reservoir Junction [described in #8
above]. Follow the jeep trail down to the southeast. Alternatively (to avoid elevation
change), turn northeast at this junction and follow an old, ill-defined jeep trail
through the trees, then parallel the crest of a ridge to the east-northeast until you
reconnect with the jeep trail. The jeep trail ascends the top of a small hill, from
which you can see Columbine Lookout to the southwest, and also our ranch-house to
the west-northwest, set beneath Winiger Ridge with the snowy Indian Peaks beyond.

From the top of the hill, proceed downslope east-northeast through a thin forest. Try
to keep just southeast of the downward-sloping ridge crest (flank of the hill), which
will let you cross meadows periodically; gradually keep to the right (more due east).
At one point, there is a steep drop to a meadow "step". (From many of these places,
there are beautiful views of arms of Gross Reservoir.) A few more giant "steps"
down, mostly through meadows (be sure to aim left of the point of land sticking west
into Gross Reservoir ahead) brings you to a trail, which circumvents the reservoir
about 100 feet above its high-water mark. Follow this trail to the left, which
eventually brings you through thick foliage to a point just west of the end of the lake,
where you can hop across Winiger
Gulch stream and get to the Winiger Gulch Haul Road near its terminus. Return
west on the Haul Road (see hike #3), perhaps taking the shortcut before the S-curve,
described in hike #7.

(9) WATER FALLS IN FORSYTHE CANYON AND GROSS RESERVOIR
(FOREST TRAIL 852). A water-lovers trail, with the constant sound of a tumbling
creek,
a lovely waterfalls, ending at an arm of the reservoir. About 5 miles (4 hours)
round-trip.
(Alternatively, drive 6
miles from our ranch along Lazy Z, Magnolia, and CR68 to parking spot marked by
"Gate Ahead: Turn Around Here" sign and "Road Closed to Protect Wildlife" gate,
and
hike only the final mile to the reservoir. If the gate is open and you have a
high-clearance
vehicle, drive in 1000 feet to the turn-off marked "Trail 852" and park there.)

From the ranch, follow hike #2 to Indian Peaks viewpoint; continue (as on hike #3,
but do
NOT take
branch to right) and descend steeply to prominent jeep road. Bear left (north); jeep
road immediately branches -- righthand (easterly) branch is steeper but shorter. Soon
after branches reconnect, there is an intersection of several jeep trails and a hiking
trail. The foot trail that branches right from the NNW-trending
branch of the jeep trail provides direct access to Forsythe Canyon;
or continue taking the main (NNW) jeep road down past a U-curve that
crosses Forsythe stream; take the first turn-off to the right. A hundred feet along the
turn-off is a sign for "Trail 852"; just beyond is a parking area, again labelled as the
852 trailhead (this place is just a thousand feet southeast of the parking spot along
CR68, within the closed-to-protect-wildlife area). The well-marked trail proceeds to
cross, on a small footbridge, a tributary stream; bear right at the signs, just before a
tall blue spruce. Hereafter, the trail is well-used but overgrown where it traverses a
couple of meadows. It follows along the north side of Forsythe stream (always 5 to
100 feet away) through a cool, verdant, mixed conifer/deciduous forest in the bottom
of Forsythe Canyon. After half-a-mile, you reach the head of a lovely waterfalls with
about a 35 foot drop. The trail circumvents the falls to the north, then returns to
near the base of the falls before proceeding the final several hundred feet to where
the stream empties into an arm of Gross Reservoir. (To get to the plunge pool at the
base
of the falls, take the first backwards branching fork in the trail after the diversion,
heading
toward a tall tree with reddish trunk; be careful of slippery, sloping rock ledges near
the
falls.) You can walk (easily) only a few
hundred feet along the south shore of the reservoir at this point; it looks as though it
is easier to walk along the north shore about a thousand more feet to where you can
look out across a much broader expanse of water. Return the way you came.